Green Living
Safely Clean with All Green
Here are some green products to keep in mind before your next cleaning project.



Melaleuca’s Tub & Tile Cleaner
Melaleuca’s tub and tile cleaner is well-known for being chemically sensitive. It doesn’t contain phosphate, ammonia or bleach. Melaleuca also sells a daily shower cleaner and Sol-U-Mel, an all-purpose cleaner/degreaser. Available at Blue Sky: Wind Solar and Home’s showroom in Lawrence. melaleuca.com


Safety Clean
A product of AFM Safecoat, Safety Clean is ideal for cleaning the bathroom, toilet bowls and other high-moisture areas. You won’t find any chlorine bleach, pine oils, butyl ethers or masking agents in this product, and it’s odor free. “Your cleaning supplies shouldn’t have to smell to know it’s doing a good job for you,” says Jenny McKee with Blue Sky: Wind Solar and Home, L.L.C. in Lawrence. Its dilution ratio is 6 ounces to 1 gallon of water. Available at Blue Sky: Wind, Solar and Home L.L.C. showroom in Lawrence and Straw, Sticks and Bricks in Kansas City. afmsafecoat.com



Citrus Sage Glass and Window Cleaner
Imus Greening the Cleaning’s citrus sage glass and window cleaner consists of naturally derived ingredients that are non-toxic, alcohol-free and biodegradable, which is why you’ll find it in hospitals, schools and businesses across the country. You won’t find any carcinogens, ammonia, chlorine, alcohol, preservatives or petroleum-based ingredients in this product. Its essential oils include grapefruit, lemon grass, sage, lavender and rosemary. Available at Return to Green and Hy-Vee in Lee’s Summit. imusranchfoods.com


Biokleen Soy Toilet Scrub
Biokleen is a gentle, acid-free formula that fights stains and odors with essential mint oil. It’s 99 percent VOC-free and doesn’t give off harsh fumes. Its ingredients include soybean oil extract, natural volcanic perlite and grapefruit seed extract. This combination is a natural, non-toxic alternative to other cleaning products of its kind. You can purchase this product at Return to Green in Lee’s Summit or at Nature’s Pantry or Price Chopper in Independence. biokleenhome.com


Mrs. Meyer’sAll-Purpose Cleaner
Free from harsh chemicals, Mrs. Meyer’s all-purpose cleaner is diluted with 1/2 cup to 1 gallon of water. All Mrs. Meyer’s products are known for their signature scents, including lavender, lemon, verbena and geranium, which are naturally attained from essential oils. Other Mrs. Meyer’s products include a toilet bowl cleaner and a shower cleaner. Available at retail stores around Kansas City. mrsmeyers.com


Citrus Sage Liquid Laundry Detergent
With the same safety combination as the glass and window cleaner, Imus Greening the Cleaning’s citrus sage liquid laundry detergent is also non-toxic, alcohol-free and biodegradable. It comes in 50-ounce bottles, and all after-tax profits from Imus Ranch Products go to the Imus Cattle Ranch to benefit kids with cancer. It also can be purchased at Return to Green and Hy-Vee in Lee’s Summit. imusranchfoods.com

Ecover’s Fabric Softener
When looking for a non-toxic, fully biodegradable fabric softener that will leave your clothes feeling fresh, look no further. Ecover’s fabric softener changes the surface tension of water and leaves fabric feeling soft. You can purchase this product at Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Green Acres Market in Briarcliff Village. ecover.com



Drainbo
From Earth Friendly Products, Drainbo is a  natural drain cleaner that’s non-toxic, chemical-free and biodegradable. It’s made up of a seven-strain bacteria formulation that goes through the same natural process of biological decomposition that has been happening forever. Drainbo can also be used in septic systems, boats, portable toilets and is great at eliminating odors from pets and garbage cans. The product can be purchased at all key retail outlets nationwide. drainbo.com



Ecover’s Floor Soap
This floor soap takes great care and protection of any non-treated floors like tile, marble, concrete and linoleum. The saponified oils within the product fill the pores on the floor and freshen the air. It’s made of linseed oil, water, plant-based fragrance and is 100 percent biodegradable. The packaging material, made of polyethylene and poly propylene, is also recyclable. It can be purchased at Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Green Acres Market. ecover.com



Seventh Generation Bleach Alternative
If you’re looking for a chlorine-free bleach, try Seventh Generation’s bleach alternative with hydrogen peroxide. It naturally degrades into oxygen and water, making it a safe product to use within your home. It can be purchased at Target, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Green Acres Market. seventhgeneration.com

All Natural Orange-Mate Mist
You won’t find any man-made chemicals here. The non-aerosol spray is all-natural and doesn’t contain fluorocarbons, hydrocarbons or propellants. It releases a fine mist that circulates more efficiently and works faster and lasts longer than other air fresheners. For an all-natural, safe scent, try orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit or cinnamon to leave your home smelling fresh. Find it at Green Acres Market. orangemate.com




Earth Friendly Products’ Dishmate Pear
This ultra-concentrated dish washing liquid cuts through grease and grime, while softening hands at the same time. It contains pure, natural pear oil and can clean 1,900 dishes per bottle. Like the rest of the line, Dishmate  Pear is non-toxic, non-polluting and 100 percent biodegradable. It also comes in refreshing scents of almond, grapefruit and lavender and can be purchased at Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Nature’s Pantry in Independence. ecos.com
20 Mule Team Borax
If you’re looking for an all-natural product that comes from naturally occurring minerals, try 20 Mule Team Borax. It helps remove stains and soil and freshens clothes. It also plays the role of a water conditioner, controls alkalinity when washing clothes and is gentle on delicate, hand-wash-only fabrics. Because of its natural ingredients, it also works well for cleaning fine china, cookware, refrigerators, hair brushes, carpet spills and stains, wine and alcohol stains, garbage pails, disposals, mattresses, humidifiers, toilet bowls, tile and bathtubs. It’s available at Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Ace Hardware stores and many local grocery stores. 20muleteamlaundry.com



Earth Friendly Products’ Furniture Polish
Made from natural olive and orange oils, Earth Friendly Products’ furniture polish is made to clean and protect wood, Formica and vinyl surfaces without using phosphates, chlorine and petroleum ingredients. It’s 100 percent biodegradable. The furniture polish can be purchased at Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Nature’s Pantry and Rainbow National Foods in Independence. ecos.com


Seventh Generation Paper Towels
Whether you’re cleaning the kitchen or your children’s messy faces, the white paper towels from Seventh Generation are 100 percent recycled with a minimum of 80 percent post-consumer content. They’re bleached with sodium hydrosulfite, which is environmentally safe, and come with 70 2-ply sheets per role. Seventh Generation’s  eco-conscious bathroom tissue has the same recycled content and more sheets per role than any of the regular chlorine-bleached brands. These products can be purchased at Target, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Green Acres Market. seventhgeneration.com

Twist’s Euro Cloth #20
One Euro Cloth equals 17 rolls of paper towels. For a green-cleaning enthusiast, that’s all you need to know. Made of pine trees, it offers the absorbency of a paper towel and reusability of a sponge. Like many other green cleaning products, it’s 100 percent biodegradable, anti-bacterial, dishwasher-safe, and the packaging is recyclable. Twist products can be found at Whole Foods and Wild Oats. twistclean.com